Some traditional Chinese medicine polysaccharides have effects of activating immune cells, improving body immunity functions and the like, and bring attentions of researchers by virtue of the advantages of exact effects, small toxic and side effects and the like. The traditional Chinese medicine polysaccharides serve as immunoregulators with developing potential and will achieve significant effects in the processes of eliminating diseases and enhancing human resistance. However, at present, the study on most of the traditional Chinese medicine polysaccharides is limited to total polysaccharides, and the study on specific molecular compositions and action mechanisms of the polysaccharides is unclear. Therefore, substance structures of the traditional Chinese medicine polysaccharides and effects and mechanisms thereof on an immune system are intensively and systematically researched, and pharmacodynamic substances of the traditional Chinese medicine polysaccharides are expected to be recognized from a deeper level.
Polyporus polysaccharide is a main active ingredient in a water extract of a traditional Chinese medicine polyporus, is a good immunoregulator and has effects of resisting tumors, performing immunoregulation, protecting liver, and resisting oxidation, radiation and mutagenesis, and the like. Preliminary study of the present study discovers that Polyporus umbellatus fries has an excellent effect of preventing BBN-induced bladder carcinoma and also has an effect of obviously increasing an immunologic function thereof. Correlational studies are also made on immunomodulatory effects and mechanisms of the Polyporus umbellatus fries, while the objects of the above studies are the Polyporus umbellatus fries, not involving any specific ingredient and an immunity-associated activity thereof in the Polyporus polysaccharide. However, with respect to component study on the Polyporus polysaccharide, Japanese scholars report that the Polyporus contains a water-soluble polyglucan 6-branched-β-1, 3-glucan, a monosaccharide composition is glucose only, and all components are of a β-configuration. It is also reported that, a homogeneous polysaccharide which has a molecular weight of about 2.27 million and mainly contains D-glucose, a homogeneous polysaccharide which has a molecular weight of 14000 and contains glucose and glucuronic acid and a homogeneous polysaccharide which has a molecular weight of about 8800 and contains glucuronic acid are separated from the Polyporus. 
A simple and effective polysaccharide extraction process and method are adopted in the present study. A novel Polyporus polysaccharide (PPS) different from that reported in an existing literature is separated and identified from the Polyporus medicinal material for the first time. It is proved that, the PPS has the monosaccharide composition of the glucose only and also has an α-configuration and a main connection manner of 1→4. Anti-tumor immunoregulatory activities and action mechanisms of the PPS are researched. It is first discovered that, the PPS has excellent immunoregulation and treatment effects, and has potential prevention and health effects on diseases.